Hancock promises Luffy a ship and decides to let him join the Kujas at a banquet. Luffy behaves as his usual self and parties with them as the Kuja' marvel at Luffy's rubber body. As he eats they start poking and stretching him, angrily telling them he is not a side attraction and they give chase to him and Luffy runs away and escapes with Marguerite, who then thanks Luffy for saving her and her friends. They both arrive at Nyon's house where Luffy discovers Hancock's title of Shichibukai, the war with the Whitebeard Pirates and his brothers execution. Luffy asks for a way to save him and Nyon says only a Marine ship can make it to the prison he is at on time, Impel Down, and Hancock would have to use her title to make it. Luffy makes the tough decision to save his brother rather than to reunite with his crew. Nyon and Luffy see Hancock, who is revealed to have gotten sick and Nyon says she knows the sickness and tells her Luffy wishes to see her and Hancock does despite her illness. Luffy asks if she can board the Marine ship to save Ace, much to her sister's fury, thinking he's taking advantage of her. However, Hancock surprisingly agrees, much to her family's shock as Nyon says her disease is called "Love Sickness" and Hancock has fallen in love with Luffy.

After telling Luffy all about her past, Hancock agrees to give him a ride to Sabaody Archipelago with her Yuda-towed ship. She also invites Luffy to their banquet tonight and to rest inside. As Luffy parties, several Kuja's start poking him due to his rubber body and their interest in a man. Several more girls are interested in Luffy and want to touch him and he runs away despite them seemingly being attracted by his rubber body. He escapes with Marguerite to Elder Nyon's house.

At her house Luffy discovers that Hancock is a Shichibukai and admits his surprise. Nyon states she became Shichibukai when Hancock was eighteen, she became the empress of the Kuja and quickly gained a notorious reputation despite her young age, catching the attention of the Marines and even the World Government, who were frightened of her potential, as she had earned a large bounty of 80 million after only one campaign. Hancock later opted to join the Shichibukai in order to protect her fellow Kuja, by forming a treaty to protect their homeland from the government, preventing them from entering there. Nyon then reads on the paper about the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines and surprising Luffy further with Nyon commenting on his lack of knowledge and then reads off the prisoner on death row, his brother Portgas D. Ace is about to be taken to his execution. Luffy then is horrified by reading this as he listens that Blackbeard was the one who put Ace in prison and cuts Nyon off revealing he's his brother, shocking Nyon. Luffy asks if Ace really is going to be executed and Nyon says he will and wonders when. She says it's in five days and it will take a week to get back to Shabody and Luffy says it will be too late by the time he reunites with his crew. He asks for a faster way and Nyon tells him that he's being held at Impel Down, the maximum security prison and decides to go rescue Ace before reuniting with his crew. He says sorry to his comrades after deciding to rescue Ace at Impel Down, and asks Elder Nyon how he can rescue Ace. She says that if Whitebeard wins the war, he might be saved. Nyon, however, points out that Luffy's plan to rescue his older brother is reckless as he is facing a full-fledged war, and since Ace is the most importnat prisoner there, and that Whitebeard won't let his men be killed without a fight, the Marines are preparing for a real battle, meaning that they're going to have both the admirals (Aokiji , Kizaru , and Akainu ) and the other Shichibukai there as well. She claims that Luffy will be like a leaf whipped about by a storm, yet Luffy refuses to leave behind his own brother, claiming that he'd never live with himself if he loses Ace. Elder Nyon tells him that there's only one other way to make it to his brother in time, by asking Hancock to accept the call of the Marines as a Marine battle ship can make it in time and Luffy goes to ask her with Nyon.

As Luffy and Nyon arrive to ask her, one of her subjects arrives and reveals that Hancock has contradicted a fatal illness. Hancock has caught an unknown disease and feels in great pain for some reason. As Nyon deduces her illness, she says she knows the illness and when Hancock asks if she will die, Nyon says she will, much to Sonia's and Mary's anger telling her not to joke and she says she isn't. She tells Hancock her illness is what killed her previous predecessors and that Luffy is here to see her and surprisingly, Hancock says she'll see him, much to everyone's shock that she stood up, especially Nyon who wonders if Luffy really was able to change Hancock so much. On the balcony, Luffy sees her and asks if she's alright and she says no illness will get to her. Luffy tells her about his brother and his desire to save her and begs her to take him to Impel Down and answer the call to war. Sonia and Mary yell in anger claiming Luffy is using her and forcing her to relive her horrors as a slave to go to such a place and that this is why they hate men and refuse to let him use there sister like this. However, despite all this, Hancock, while blushing heavily, says she will happily answer the call and go wherever Luffy wishes, to which Luffy thanks her and now can make it to Ace on time. Her family is shocked by such a thing and her sisters asks what is happening and Nyon says that her sickness is called "Love Sickness" and that Hancock has fallen in love with Luffy and all the previous empresses died from being away from their loved ones and goes on to say that "love is like a hurricane".